Socket wrench having swiveled grip sleeve



y 7, 3 J. E. LYDLE 2,644,359

SOCKET WRENCH HAVING SWIVELED GRIP SLEEVE Filed July 8, 1948 III to FIG.1

ea l6 n a8 a 25 \5 O O O O O O l Q O O O O O O VOVOVOUO O O Q n B 26 asD 0 D 0 i INVENTOR. Jo fin E. Egd Fe Patented July 7, 1953 SOCKET-WRENCHmisc. 7

- GRIP John E. Lydle, Akron, Ohio, assigno'r to The-Ken- I x ToolManufacturing Company, 'Akron,:0hj0,. an

I Par hi 1 Application July 8, (01.81-177) 2 Claims.

This invention relates to socket wrenches and in particular relates tothe four-armed type of socket wrenches.

Heretofore, [integral four-armed socket wrenches have been providedwhich had sockets of different sizes on the free ends of the armsthereof adapted to be selectively engaged with a nut on a bolt orsimilar work to remove or apply the same, as by Spinning the wrenchabout the axis of the arm of the socket engaging the nut.

Such wrenches, however; would not spin readily;

and in wet weather or similar conditions would not spin at all, due tofriction of the operators hand used, while wet, as a bearing forthewrench as it was spun.

One object of the present invention is to provide a four-armed wrench ofthe character described, including improved means for permittingeffective spinning of the tool under all conditions of weather andconditions of the hands of the operator using the tool.

Another object of theinvention is to provide a tool of the characterdescribed having the advantages referred to above, and yet which will beextremely economical to produce and Will have no parts to get out oforder, lost or misplaced.

Other objects of the invention will be manifest from the following briefdescription and the accompanying drawing.

Of the accompanying drawing:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a socket wrench embodying the features ofthe invention.

Figure 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view of one of the arms of thewrench, the same being partly broken away and in section.

Referring to the drawing the numeral I designates generally a socketwrench comprising cross members II and I2 integrally forged together atthe center of the tool to provide four arms l3, l4, I5 and I6 extendingat right angles to each other, or in the form of a cross. These armshave integrally formed on the free ends thereof wrench sockets ll, I8,I9 and of, different sizes, .for receiving nuts ",or bolt heads ofportions 21 integrally formed in the respective arm, thereby topreventmovement of the sleeve crimped portions 26 also provide maximumprotection against, the operator getting his hand pinched between theends of the sleeve and the rib portions 21.

The sleeves '25 may be readily applied to the arms [3 to I6 as byapplying partially formed, split sleeves over the straight portions 24of the arms and closing the partially formed sleeves to cylindricalshape about said straight portions.

For providing non-slip engagement of the hand with the sleeves 25 theymay have formed or impressed on the outer surfaces thereof a pluralityof, closely spaced projections 28.

In operation or use of thetool, as for removing a nut '31! from a bolt3| of a vehicle wheel, the socket 20 of corresponding size is applied tothe nut, whereby the operator after loosening the nut in the usual waymay be grasping the sleeve 25 of the arm I l engage one of the angularlyextending arms I3 or l5 and cause the wrench to spin or turn about theaxis through the aligned arms I5 and [4. The wrench may be similarlyengaged and spun in applying a nut to a bolt. The oppositely extendingarms I3 and I5 provide balance for free spinning action of the wrench.

Thus has been provided an improved fourarmed socket wrench whichovercomes the forementioned defects of the ordinary type of fourarmedwrench, and yet which is simple in construction and *economical tomanufacture. There are no parts to become-loose or detached from thewrench, or to get out of order.

Modifications of the invention may be resorted to without departing fromthe spirit thereof or the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A cross-membered tool comprising a hub and four arms extendingsubstantially at right angles to each other from the hub, said armshaving work-engaging heads on the free ends thereof, operable on thework by turningthe tool on the axis of respectively opposite arms, anelongated sleeve relatively rotatably mounted on each of said arms, eachof said sleeves being of suiiicient length to be non-rotatively gripped'in the hand while the tool is rotated with the turning head of theopposite arm operatively engaged with the work, said sleevedcrossmembers having spaced annular ribs thereon and said sleeve havingopposite end portions thereof rotatively crimped over said ribs toprelongitudinally of the arm and yet permitting rotation of the sleevewith respect thereto. The

vent longitudinal movement of the sleeve on its cross-member. 1

2. A cross-membered tool comprising ahub and four rigidly connected armsextending at right angles to each other generally in a plane from saidhub, said arms having wrench sockets or like Work-engaging tool heads onthe free ends thereof, operable on the Work by turning the tool on theaxis of respectively opposite arms, elongated sleevesrelativelyrotatably mounted on each of said arms, said tool thereby being adaptedto be rotated about an axis of one crossmember While the tool head of anarm thereof presented outwardly of an operator of the tool is engagedwith Work to be turned and .while said operator grips against rotationthe sleeve on the correspondingly inwardly presented varm.

4 over said spaced ribs to prevent relative longitudinal movement of thesleeves.

JOHN E. LYDLE.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS NumberName .Date

286,610 I-Ieysinger 'Oct. 16, 1883 1,537,657 Burch May 12, 19251,574,136 Tautz et a1. Feb. 23, 1926 1,584,208 rBellows May 11, 19262,341,375 I-Iambleton Feb. 8, 1944 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date408,957 Great Britain Apr. 16, 1934 523,274

Great Britain July 10, 1940

